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Wontons with a twist Posted: 11 Jan 2013 04:04 PM PST The wontons... tempting little bites. KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 12 ― I bit on the crispy wonton and savoured the delectable filling of onion, cheese and chopped mushroom. The next one I tried had a filling of chicken ham, pineapple cubes and cream cheese. Clearly these were no ordinary wontons. We were at the newly-opened Little Wonton in Bangsar; a charming, pretty half shop that has been designed to maximize space. It's all about wontons ― 21 varieties in all with more to come. Half of them are savoury and the rest are sweet. It turns the concept of wontons ― always with a meat or shrimp filling, mostly in soup, with some deepfried ― on its head. There is one with an egg, apple and mayonnaise filling that children would love. Other wonton bites to take note of: seafood tofu with tangy Thai sauce; sardine, chilli and onions, and chicken ham, potato mash and mayonnaise. Charcoal noodles... for those who want something more substantial. I tried two dessert wontons ― the chocolate banana and the lychee and pineapple. The chocolate banana was simply scrumptious; melted chocolate and soft, sweet banana. The lychee and pineapple one was good too, but I preferred the chocolate banana. Two of my friends, who are not chocolate fans, liked the lychee and pineapple one better I like anything with banana, be it in cake, pancake or wonton, and there were two more wontons with this fruit that I would like to try the next time ― banana with kaya, and with peanut butter. The sweet corn in warm butter sounds delicious too, and the crunchy apple sprinkled with cinnamon. The wontons we had were so tasty on their own they didn't need any sauces or embellishments. But Little Wonton has a table laden with sauces such as chilli, sambal and thousand island, as well as shredded cabbage and carrot you can put together as a salad to assuage the guilt of enjoying the deepfried wonton. I had no such guilt. However, you can expect salads to appear on the menu soon. In the meantime, to go with the wontons are a healthy alternative ― charcoal noodles in five variations, such as in tofu soup, served cold with vinegar sauce and chopped garlic, with sesame drizzle and spicy tomyam flavour. The interior of the cheery Little Wonton cafe. I liked the cold noodles with a lightly sour vinegar sauce tinged with sweetness, topped with half a hard-boiled egg, sesame seeds, fried garlic and chopped spring onion. The tomyam noodles were sweet, sour and spicy, with cubes of fishcake in it.  Each strand of the flat black noodles was coated with the fragrant sesame paste, and sprinkled with sesame seeds and chopped spring onion. All the noodles are a good match for the fried wontons. There are even chunky fries on the menu, and these have been a hit with the kids. Little Wonton has a set that offers any six wontons with ice lemon tea for just RM12. Add the noodles and it costs only RM17. The café offers cappuccino, latte, hot chocolate and tea. The Silk Milk Tea (RM5), like a Hong Kong lai char, was fragrant and nice. There are also homemade Hazelnut Chocolate Chip, and Coconut Cornflake Cookies selling at RM25 a jar. Homemade cookies also available here. The menu was thoughtfully put together by Little Wonton partners Elyn Pao who created the food, Bernice Cheong, Bernard Teoh and Enzel Tang, who designed the café. "We wanted a quaint, small place where people can feel at home," said Elyn. "We wanted the prices to be very reasonable and affordable. There is no service charge." "We wanted to be different ― that's our selling point," said Bernice. The wontons, noodles and drinks are all available for takeaway. It also has a limited delivery service. Open from 11am to 10pm, it is pork-free. Little Wonton is located at 9 Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar Baru, 59100, KL, Tel: 03-2202 2613.

Food agenda: Sirha and Bocuse d’Or Posted: 11 Jan 2013 03:28 PM PST Rasmus Kofoed (second left) holds his trophy after winning the Bocuse d'Or January 26, 2011.—AFP pic LONDON, Jan 12 ― The big gastronomy event this month is a trade show billed as the largest in the world, and a competition known as the culinary equivalent of the Olympics. Here's a look at the top international food and drink events around the world. 30th annual Sirha January 26-30 Lyon, France Billed as one of the world's largest food and gastronomy trade shows of the year, Sirha is expected to attract 165,000 professionals and 2,200 exhibitors over five days. Highlights of the event include the biennial Bocuse d'Or international cooking competition, known as the Olympics of the food world for its prestige; the World Cuisine Summit, a forum for international leaders to exchange ideas on how to improve food service; and the Coupe du Monde Patisserie Cup, which crowns the world's best pastry chef. Bocuse d'Or January 29-30 Lyon This year, chefs from 24 countries will be competing in the culinary equivalent of the Olympics at one of the most prestigious cooking competitions in the world. The chef to beat is Denmark's Rasmus Kofoed who took home the bragging rights at the last competition in 2011. Gourmand World Cookbook Fair Paris, France February 22 – 24 This year one of the most prestigious international cookbook fairs for trade professionals moves from the edges of the city to the Carrousel du Louvre. As the most international cookbook fair of its kind, this year cookery books from 171 countries will be competing to take home bragging rights and an award. New at the 2013 edition is the World Festival of Wine and Food Television, which will draw TV food producers, broadcasters and food TV celebrities to the show. Asia's 50 Best Restaurant Awards Singapore February 25 The inaugural edition of the Asian version of the World's 50 Best Restaurants from Restaurant magazine takes place in Singapore and will attempt to identify the best eateries across the continent. Given the growing influence the World's 50 Best Restaurant awards has exerted over its short 10-year existence, it's expected the food world will look at the results with great interest. James Beard Foundation Awards finalists announced March 18 Charleston, South Carolina Known as the Oscars of the food world in the US, the James Beard Foundation will announce the finalists for the 2013 awards in categories such as outstanding chef, outstanding restaurant, and the best in food journalism. — AFP/Relaxnews

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Sturridge made right choice in Liverpool, says Henderson Posted: 11 Jan 2013 07:08 AM PST LONDON, Jan 11 — New Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge made the right choice in joining the Anfield side from Premier League rivals Chelsea for an undisclosed fee last week, according to Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson. Sturridge, who struggled to hold down a regular first-team place after joining Chelsea from Manchester City in 2009, scored after seven minutes on his debut in the FA Cup victory over minor league Mansfield Town on Sunday. Henderson predicted a bright future at Liverpool for his fellow England international. "He's definitely made the right choice in coming here and I think he'll be a top player for Liverpool," Henderson told the club's website (http://www.liverpoolfc.com) on Friday. "I thought he was really good (against Mansfield). He hadn't played for a while but he was really sharp, he got his goal. He is a big talent. "I think it's a great signing and he'll do really well." Sturridge, who started 49 games and made 47 substitute appearances in three-and-a-half years at Stamford Bridge, scoring 24 goals, is set to form a lethal partnership up front with Uruguayan Luis Suarez. Henderson said he had played a small part in persuading the striker, whom he knows from the England set-up, to join. "It wasn't anything much," said Henderson. "Just telling him what it's like, but Liverpool speaks for itself as a club and city. It's got great people here, the city's great and the club is massive." Sturridge has won four England caps and featured in the British team at the 2012 London Olympics after overcoming a bout of meningitis. — Reuters

Higuain back and ready to try and fill Ronaldo’s boots Posted: 11 Jan 2013 06:23 AM PST Real Madrid player Gonzalo Higuain warming up. — Reuters pic MADRID, Jan 11 — Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain has said he is ready to step up and fill Cristiano Ronaldo's boots when the champions visit bottom club Osasuna in La Liga on Saturday without their suspended leading scorer. The Argentina international has just returned from two months on the sidelines with a hamstring problem picked up against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League two months ago. He played his first minutes since then as a substitute in Wednesday's King's Cup win over Celta Vigo, when Ronaldo inspired the side to a 4-0 victory and a place in the quarter-finals against Valencia. "I am feeling good. They have been two hard months. I am available and able to play the full 90 minutes," Higuain told a news conference on Friday. Higuain is still Madrid's second highest scorer in La Liga with seven goals despite his time on the sidelines, with his strike partner Karim Benzema struggling in front of goal on five so far. Ronaldo, who was runner up Lionel Messi in the World Player of the Year awards on Monday, has carried the team to victory with two inspirational performances in the last week and has scored five goals in their two games since the mid-season break. "I don't know if he is in his best run of form," Higuain said of Ronaldo. "He's been scoring more than 40 goals a season since he arrived here and we are pleased he has been doing well. "We have been going through a tricky patch and his goals have helped us to win the games. When it comes together for him, it's good for all of us." Real head to Pamplona without Ronaldo, and their first-choice centre-backs Pepe, who is injured, and Sergio Ramos, who was hit with a five-match ban on Thursday after being sent off and insulting the referee in the Cup against Celta. With reserve keeper Antonio Adan suspended, Iker Casillas will be back in the starting line up, while fullbacks Fabio Coentrao and Marcelo returned to the squad after injury. "Every player is important and we can't dwell on those who are missing," the 25-year-old said. "We have to replace them, and we have players who can do that very well." Real have slipped 16 points behind unbeaten leaders Barcelona, and are five behind second-placed Atletico Madrid, ahead of a traditionally tricky fixture for the bigger clubs. Osasuna's compact Reyno de Navarra stadium, with their vociferous fans right up alongside the pitch, has been an uncomfortable venue for both Real and Barca in recent seasons. Real have one win, a draw and two defeats from their last four trips there. "It has always been difficult to play there, apart from last season when we won comfortably," Higuain said. "It's a tough stadium and they are in need of the points." — Reuters

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Smile or grimace? Royal Kate portrait splits opinion Posted: 11 Jan 2013 05:11 AM PST LONDON, Jan 11 — The first official portrait of Britain's Duchess of Cambridge, popularly known by her former name Kate Middleton, was unveiled in London on Friday, and opinion was sharply divided over an image many deemed unflattering. The 31-year-old, who as a glamorous future queen is one of the world's most photographed women, is portrayed in the large canvas with a faint smile, long, copper-tinted hair and shadow under her eyes. Award-winning artist Paul Emsley, surrounded by a scrum of international news crews at the National Portrait Gallery where the work was revealed, described the duchess as a "wonderful subject" and "generous as a person. "The brief was that it should be a portrait which in some way expressed her natural self rather than her official self," he said. " The Duchess of Cambridge on her wedding day. — Reuters pic When you meet her, that really is appropriate. She really is that kind of a person. She's so nice to be with and it's genuine and I felt if the painting can convey something of that then it will have succeeded." National Portrait Gallery staff said the duchess and her husband Prince William visited earlier on Friday and were "very pleased" with the outcome of a painting based on photographs taken at two sittings in May and June last year. "Her family are also very pleased," Emsley said. "To me that's the ultimate test in a way, because they know her better than anyone else." Widespread criticism Public reaction was less positive, however, with views on Twitter and newspaper websites overwhelmingly negative. Many comments focused on how the image had aged the duchess, herself a graduate in art history, while others took the artist to task for portraying her smiling slightly. One Daily Mail reader from Canada summed up broader opinion in an unnamed comment. "OMG, how awful! Rather than being overly flattering as many royal portraits are, this one is the extreme opposite. She's barely recognizable! Poor Kate, forced to say she's 'thrilled' when in all likelihood, she is as horrified as the rest of us." Sunday Times art critic Waldemar Januszczak called the portrait "pretty ordinary ... He (Emsley) made her look older than she is and her eyes don't sparkle in the way that they do and there's something rather dour about the face." Glasgow-born Emsley, whose previous commissions included former South African President Nelson Mandela, knew he would be in the public eye when taking on a subject of the duchess's stature as a royal and global celebrity. "It's probably the most important portrait I'll ever do, and when you realise that, you do start to think rather carefully about what you're doing perhaps more than you usually do, and that made me more cautious than I normally am." The duchess has recently been in the headlines after spending four days in hospital being treated for acute morning sickness having announced she was pregnant. The National Portrait Gallery commissioned the painting of its patron, and it was given to the gallery by Hugh Leggatt through the Art Fund. — Reuters

Half of all food thrown away, report claims Posted: 10 Jan 2013 10:58 PM PST A customer selects vegetables at a supermarket in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, January 11, 2013. Every year, four billion tonnes of food is produced, but between 30 per cent and 50 per cent is never consumed. — Reuters pic LONDON, Jan 11 — Up to half of all the food produced in the world — two billion tonnes of it — is thrown away, according to a report published yesterday. The waste is caused by poor infrastructure and storage facilities in the developing world, and "buy-one-get-one-free" offers, and the fussiness of consumers in the developed world, the report by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers said. Every year, four billion tonnes of food is produced, but between 30 per cent and 50 per cent is never consumed, according to the report entitled "Global Food; Waste Not, Want Not". One of the worst offenders is Britain, where as much as 30 per cent of vegetables are not harvested because they are misshapen and supermarkets will not sell them. The report also suggests that half of the food that is bought in Europe and the United States is thrown away by consumers. Dr Tim Fox, head of energy and environment at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said: "The amount of food wasted and lost around the world is staggering. "This is food that could be used to feed the world's growing population — as well as those in hunger today. "It is also an unnecessary waste of the land, water and energy resources that were used in the production, processing and distribution of this food. "The reasons for this situation range from poor engineering and agricultural practices, inadequate transport and storage infrastructure through to supermarkets demanding cosmetically perfect foodstuffs and encouraging consumers to overbuy through buy-one-get-one free offers." The report also found that 550 billion cubic metres of water is wasted globally in growing crops that were never eaten. The institution said the demand for water production could reach between 10 trillion and 13 trillion cubic metres a year by 2050. Fox said: "The UN projects that the global population will swell to 9.5 billion by 2075, meaning there will be three billion more people to feed. "As water, land and energy resources come under increasing pressure from competing human demands, engineers have a crucial role to play in preventing food loss and waste by developing more efficient ways of growing, transporting and storing foods. "But in order for this to happen governments, development agencies and organisations like the UN must work together to help change people's mindsets on waste and discourage wasteful practices by farmers, food producers, supermarkets and consumers." — AFP/Relaxnews

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Tunisians set fire to police station, cars in border town protest Posted: 11 Jan 2013 08:21 AM PST Protesters shout slogans and wave flags during a demonstration by the conservatives against the new Constitution in Tunis January 11, 2013. — Reuters pic TUNIS, Jan 11 — Hundreds of Tunisian protesters demanding jobs and the reopening of a border crossing with Libya set fire to a police station and cars, and police used teargas and fired shots into the air to disperse them today, a Reuters witness said. Protesters in Ben Guerdane want the Ras Jedir crossing reopened so that trade with Libya, on which most of the population depend, can start again. Tunisian and Libyan authorities opened the crossing briefly yesterday but shut it because of the security threat. Four days of protests in Ben Guerdane turned violent yesterday. "Protesters burned police stations overnight ... now police are chasing them and firing teargas and shots into the air to disperse them," a Reuters photographer in Ben Guerdane said. Tunisia's Islamist-led government has sought to revive the economy hit by a decline in trade with Europe and by disputes between secularists and hardline Salafi Islamists over policy in the North African state, the cradle of the Arab Spring. Two years after the revolution that toppled Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali, increasing numbers of Tunisians are staging street protests to demand jobs and economic development. Last month clashes between protesters and police in the northwest town of Siliana wounded more than 220 people. Two years ago, street peddler Mohamend Bouazizi burned himself to death two years ago in despair at the confiscation of his fruit cart in Sidi Bouzid, sparking an uprising in Tunisia that spread to Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Syria and Bahrain. — Reuters

US, Russia talks on Syria end without breakthrough Posted: 11 Jan 2013 08:17 AM PST International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi. — Reuters pic GENEVA, Jan 11 — International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi and senior envoys from Russia and the United States called for a political solution to end the Syria conflict today but reached no breakthrough. Brahimi urged world powers to "create an opening" diplomatically to help stem the bloodshed and alleviate the Syrian people's suffering. He said that he would brief the U.N. Security Council later this month on his latest consultations. "We stressed again that in our view there was no military solution to this conflict. We underscored the necessity to reach a political solution based on the Geneva communique of 30 June 2012," Brahimi said in a joint statement read out after his closed-door talks with US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov. Brahimi, in answer to a question on any concrete progress, told reporters: "If you are asking whether there is a solution around the corner, I'm not sure that is the case." Russia and the United States back opposing sides in Syria's 21-month-old conflict between President Bashar al-Assad's government forces and rebels fighting to topple him. Syria denounced Brahimi as "flagrantly biased" yesterday, casting doubt on how long the U.N.-Arab League mediator can pursue his peace mission. Brahimi, speaking to Reuters in Cairo a day earlier, said that Assad could have no place in a transitional government to end the civil war, the closest he has come to calling directly for the embattled president to quit. Asked today whether the Russians shared his views on Assad, he replied: "I am absolutely certain that the Russians are as preoccupied as I am, as preoccupied as the Americans are, by the bad situation that exists in Syria and its continuing deterioration. "I am absolutely certain they would like to contribute to its solution," he added. But pressed on whether Bogdanov had come with new proposals to pave the way for a political transition, he said: "We discussed a lot of things. They had ideas, others also had ideas." Earlier, a US official said the talks would focus on creating the conditions for a political solution, specifically a transitional governing body agreed at Geneva talks in June. That ministerial accord left open the fate of Assad. "The US position is clear: Assad has lost all legitimacy and must step aside to enable a political solution and a democratic transition that meets the aspirations of the Syrian people," the US official said, asking not to be named. Before the meeting, Bogdanov gave no indication Russia would abandon its insistence that Assad must not be forced out by external powers and that his exit cannot be a precondition for a Syrian political dialogue. Russia is "eagerly awaiting bringing the agreements reached in Geneva to life without damaging the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria and without violating the right of the Syrian people to choose their own leaders," Bogdanov was quoted as telling Russia Today television. Before the talks, a Geneva-based Arab diplomat said he expected Moscow to bring some new ideas to the negotiating table. "The Russians asked for this meeting, so they must be coming with something," he said. "At the same time, they don't want to let Bashar go." — Reuters

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Jazz world mourns Montreux founder ‘Funky Claude’ Posted: 11 Jan 2013 07:25 AM PST The Montreux Jazz Festival announced on January 7, 2013 that its founder remained unconscious after undergoing surgery due to a cross-country ski accident during the Christmas holidays. — Reuters pic GENEVA, Jan 11 — Claude Nobs, who founded the Montreux Jazz Festival nearly 50 years ago, has died after several weeks in a coma following a skiing accident, the festival said today. The Swiss impresario immortalised by rock group Deep Purple as "Funky Claude" in the song "Smoke on the Water" and who lured the biggest stars of the music world to his festival on the shores of Lake Geneva died yesterday at the age of 76. "He died peacefully, surrounded by family and close friends," said a statement issued by the festival, where Mathieu Jaton assumed his duties as director earlier this week. Nobs launched the summer festival in 1967 while working as an accountant at the Swiss resort's tourism office. Over the years, his blend of persistence, patience and charm managed to persuade leading lights such as Miles Davis, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and Prince to take the stage at Montreux. But he often had to meet their whims to coax them along. "I got Miles a Ferrari for him to drive along the lake, Nina Simone wanted a diamond watch and we found the mineral water that Prince likes in Geneva. We always find a way," Nobs told Reuters last April during an interview at his beloved chalet. A former festival employee told Reuters today: "He was a shy man but still managed to negotiate. That was his strength and led him to create something huge." Nobs fell while cross-country skiing on Christmas Eve near his chalet in Caux, overlooking Montreux, a property that he shared with his longtime partner Thierry Amsallem, who is in charge of digitalising the festival's archives of 5,000 hours. Last year's two-week festival, which attracted about 250,000 people, featured sold-out concerts by Bob Dylan, American chanteuse Lana Del Rey and British actor and musician Hugh Laurie. A musical tribute to the people of Montreux is planned in February, in accordance with his wishes, to be followed by events in New York and London this spring, festival board president Francois Carrard told Reuters. CHALET PARTIES Nobs threw legendary parties at his chalet, full of vintage Wurlitzer jukeboxes, flat screen TVs and sophisticated sound equipment. Waiters delivered fine food and champagne around a pool with a breathtaking view of the Alps. A Japanese kimono worn by Freddie Mercury, a print signed by Ron Wood of the Rolling Stones and a larger-than-life bust of Aretha Franklin were among mementoes on display. Film director Roman Polanski stopped in on his way to see his wife Emmanuelle Seigner perform at Montreux in 2010. Days earlier he had been freed from house arrest in Gstaad after Swiss authorities said they would not extradite him to the United States to face sentencing for having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977. Herbie Hancock, Van Morrison, Phil Collins and Gilberto Gil have all been regulars at the festival, whose two venues are the larger Stravinski Auditorium and more intimate Miles Davis Hall. In the mid-1960s, after his first flight on an airplane, Nobs formed a decisive and lifetime friendship in New York with Atlantic Records executive Nesuhi Ertegun, whose father was a former ambassador of Turkey to Switzerland. "That first time I met Nesuhi, I had no credentials, nothing, something magical happened," Nobs recalled in his memoirs "Live! From Montreux", first published in 2007. Of the first edition, he wrote: "That first festival was obviously when I had to learn a massive amount extremely quickly — from how you deal with one artist arriving whilst the act from the previous night's show still hasn't woken up yet, let alone vacated the suite the incoming band are supposed to be going straight into." The Deep Purple anthem, which dubbed Nobs "Funky" was written about a fire that burned down Montreux casino during a Frank Zappa concert in 1971. Despite heart surgery some six years ago, Nobs had stayed on as festival director, a position he shared during the 1990s with American producer Quincy Jones who returns each year from Los Angeles to introduce new talent and refers to Montreux as the "Rolls-Royce of festivals". Nobs often joined musicians on stage, playing harmonica, sometimes accompanied by his St. Bernard dogs. The 47th edition is scheduled for July 5-20. — Reuters

France’s richest man’s bid to be Belgian suffers setback Posted: 11 Jan 2013 07:01 AM PST Bernard Arnault, France's richest man and chief executive of luxury group LVMH. — AFP pic BRUSSELS, Jan 11 — Belgian prosecutors have advised against giving citizenship to Bernard Arnault, France's richest man and chief executive of luxury group LVMH, whom critics accuse of seeking to avoid French taxes. Arnault had not shown he had principally been living in Belgium for the required period of at least three years, a spokesman for the prosecutors said. "There is also a preliminary examination of his businesses in Belgium," he added. An LVMH spokesman in Paris said the prosecutors' decision was no more than "a stage in the process of seeking a double-nationality which won't prejudice its final outcome. Arnault's bid for Belgian citizenship in September caused uproar in France. Critics believed the move was a bid to avoid a then planned 75 per cent supertax on income over 1 million euros (RM4.1 billion) and duties on wealth. Arnault has denied this is the reason. Belgian citizenship is granted by a parliamentary committee, which takes advice from prosecutors, the state security agency and the immigration office. The latter also gave negative advice last month, Belgian media reported. Arnault has several companies in Belgium, a number of them officially based in a modest apartment building in the Belgian capital, others in a glass office block on chic commercial street Avenue Louise. LVMH has said its Belgian activities and those of the Arnault group are entirely legitimate and in compliance with the country's tax rules. Belgian residents, whether or not they are Belgian citizens, do not pay a wealth tax, which in France is now levied on those with assets over 1.3 million euros. Nor do they pay capital gains tax on share sales. French actor Gerard Depardieu confirmed last month he was leaving France for Belgium to shelter from tax, a moved branded by French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault as "pathetic". Depardieu has since received a Russian passport. France has been studying how to amend the supertax on the rich — a key plank in President Francois Hollande's campaign platform last year — after it was thrown out by a top court. A government source said last week it could abandon its reference to a special 75 per cent tranche. — Reuters

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The true measure of a society Posted: 10 Jan 2013 04:30 PM PST JAN 11 ― They say that if you want to know the maturity and development of a society, you look at how it treats its least privileged. But I think there's a better analogy than that. I say, if you want to know the maturity of a society, look at how its concert organisers treat ticket buyers. I recently went to Jakarta, the macet-prone capital of Indonesia, to watch one of my favourite rock bands of all time, Weezer, in concert. The last time I saw them perform was 11 years ago in Birmingham, England. And I have to say, this time around, it may just be the best concert I have ever been to. But let's put that story aside; it isn't what I really want to talk about here. What I do want to talk about is the experience I had at the hands of the Indonesian concert organisers. It isn't a secret that many Malaysians tend to look at Indonesians as a second class or lesser Malay society compared to themselves. Don't believe me? Just go back a few weeks and flick through Utusan Malaysia and read an article written by a certain former information minister, and see. However, I would beg to differ. My recent trip to the Nusantara has made me realise that my Malay blood isn't any superior just because I have a blue Malaysian identity card. I have been to concerts in many countries, from Malaysia to Singapore, and even Europe and America. But the most pleasant experience has to be in Indonesia. Never have I met a more polite bunch of ticket punchers, ushers and security personnel anywhere before in my entire 34 years of life. Smiles were generously thrown in every direction and nice greetings were uttered like they didn't cost a single Rupiah at all. Crowd control could have not been any more efficient and pleasant than that concert by Weezer in Jakarta, Indonesia. Compare that to all of the concerts I have been to in my homeland Malaysia, where anyone with a "crew" tag would act like they were the boss of the world. I have never encountered in Malaysia, ticket punchers and usher who are actually polite. They usually rush people in and grab tickets without the least eye contact.  At let's not even mention the security team. They act like the Hells Angels did during the 1969 Rolling Stones concert in Altamount, California. You can't miss them. They look like gangsters with big handlebar moustaches and gigantic bellies that they seem to think are muscles. They scream and manhandle concertgoers exactly like how Malaysian stepfathers scream and manhandle their stepchildren. So despite the fact that my Indonesian maid just ran away two months shy of the end of her two-year contract and causing me to have to pay a fine, I still think very highly of Indonesian society. You guys in Indonesia have contributed to one of the most pleasant experiences in my life, and for that, I thank you. You are truly a cultured society. But, of course, it would have all been for nothing if it wasn't for the rocking awesomeness of Weezer and Rivers Cuomo. To be frank, only the first two of their albums (out of a total of nine!) are worth listening to. The rest just suck big time! But the brilliance of those two albums alone (Blue Album and Pinkerton, which were released in 1994 and 1996 respectively) puts them as one of the top two on my favourite bands list. And on a final note, to my runaway Indonesian maid, pray that I find my wife's necklace and my diamond stud Baju Melayu button. Or else, be warned that I know where you live (Kuala Tungkal, Sumatra). I have been there and I have relatives there who have quite some clout. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist

Pathei Mathos, penswastaan air dan mentaliti kelas ketiga Posted: 10 Jan 2013 03:47 PM PST 11 JAN ― Hidup memang bukan mudah dan kerana payahnyalah kehidupan itu, aku dan engkau akan menjadi lebih bermakna sebagai manusia. Faisal Tehrani, Cinta Hari-hari Rusuhan. SAYA merujuk kepada laporan The Star bertarikh 8 Januari 2013 dengan tajuk "SYABAS: Water crisis in Ampang and Cheras to continue till CNY" serta Kenyataan Media yang dikeluarkan oleh pihak SYABAS juga pada 8 Januari 2013 bertajuk "Gangguan bekalan air tidak berjadual ekoran kegagalan rumah pam Wangsa Maju dan Pudu Hulu Baru ― SYABAS jangka tempoh pemulihan lebih lama". Menurut Kenyataan Media SYABAS tersebut, 13 kawasan melibatkan daerah Ampang/Cheras membabitkan sehingga 28,000 pemilik akaun atau 140,000 (mengambilkira purata 5 orang setiap rumah) akan terjejas sehingga perayaan Tahun Baru Cina sekitar Februari 2013, lebih kurang sebulan dari hari ini. Jika dituruti kata-kata Faisal Tehrani di atas, kehidupan saya sebagai manusia akan lebih bermakna dengan hari-hari mendatang berikutan susah payahnya mencari dan mengangkut air; kerana saya adalah salah seorang di kalangan 140,000 rakyat yang terjejas akibat insiden kegagalan rumah pam oleh SYABAS. Seratus lima puluh meter dari rumah saya ialah Masjid al-Mustaqimah Taman Cheras Indah, juga terjejas teruk. Lebih malang, Maahad Tahfiz Manbaul Huffaz di sebelahnya lansung tidak beroperasi sejak awal tahun, anak murid dipaksa pulang ke rumah akibat ketiadaan bekalan air. Kedai mamak di hadapan kedai keranda berhampiran Restoran Mak Engku, 300m dari rumah saya juga sudah tiga kali tidak beroperasi. Kedai dobi berhampiran juga nampaknya "bungkus" dalam masa terdekat ini. Dengar khabarnya kebanyakan kedai dobi berhampiran juga mengalami nasib yang sama akibat gangguan bekalan air ini, "bungkus". Tidak dapat saya bayangkan cerita rakan-rakan di kawasan flat sekitar Pandan Jaya, ada di kalangan mereka harus mengangkut air setinggi tingkat lima, sepanjang 14 hari yang lalu! Untuk warga bujang seperti saya yang kadangkala terpaksa melilau mencari mesin air untuk dibuat bekal mandi, saya hairan bagaimana jika keluarga dengan lima orang anak kecil akan melalui situasi menyukarkan sebegini sehingga Tahun Baru Cina? Oh air bukan sahaja bekalan buat mandi, bayangkan bagaimana jika anak kecil tersebut membuang air kecil dan air besar? Air juga diperlukan untuk memasak dan membasuh baju. Dan kawasan yang terjejas bukan sahaja melibatkan rumah teres dan flat lima tingkat tetapi juga kawasan apartmen 30 tingkat seperti di Bandar Sri Permaisuri. Pernahkah anda terfikir bagaimana sukarnya keluarga-keluarga ini mengharungi setiap pagi dan petang mereka tanpa air? Penswastaan dan "False Consciousness" Lebih mengharukan, bekalan air bersih di Tesco Ampang (pasaraya terbesar & terdekat dengan kawasan terjejas) juga khabarnya kerap kehabisan stok. Ini adalah realiti kehidupan yang perlu dilalui 140,000 rakyat Malaysia dan sekurang-kurangnya sehingga Februari 2013. Realiti ini perlu dilalui bukan pada musim kemarau tetapi ketika petang-petang tersebut hujan membasahi atap rumah mereka. Perkara paling pelik yang mengganggu fikiran saya ialah bagaimana Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (SYABAS), syarikat swasta dengan status "subsidiary" oleh Puncak Niaga ini tidak mampu menangani masalah rumah pam sehingga perlu mengambil masa lebih dari sebulan dengan jumlah penduduk yang terjejas menjangkau lebih dari 100,000 orang? Adakah proses pencegahan melalui pemantauan dan pemeriksaan berkala sudah dijalankan atau apakah status kebolehan dan keberkesanan rumah pam melibatkan rumah pam Wangsa Maju dan rumah pam Pudu Hulu ini? Mengapa sebuah syarikat swasta dibenarkan beroperasi sebegini tanpa sebarang tindakan terhadap prestasi CEO, COO dan pelbagai lapisan pegawainya yang lain yang secara jelas tidak cekap dalam melaksanakan tugas mereka? SPRM? Jika benar laporan media mengenai gaji bulanan CEO syarikat ini sehingga mencecah RM 400,000 tetapi menyediakan perkhidmatan kelas ketiga kepada pelanggan; inilah kesilapan terbesar Dasar Penswastaan Negara yang dipelopori oleh Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Ketika rakyat berpeluh mengangkut air sehingga tingkat lima, di mana kapitalis ini berada agaknya? Di celah-celah kedai kopi sekitar Publika? Politik hubris dan mentaliti kelas ketiga Sebahagian dari anda mungkin akan menganggap isu ini remeh. Saya sendiri jika tidak kerana mengalaminya sendiri tidak akan berfikir sebegini rupa. Permainan politik hubris di antara kerajaan negeri, kerajaan persekutuan dan juga syarikat SYABAS ini telah menyebabkan kami iaitu rakyat dilanda masalah dan bala bencana yang berpanjangan. Lebih memalukan, dasar-dasar penswastaan pro kapitalisme ala Adam Smith nampaknya tidak berkesan untuk digunapakai di negara dengan mentaliti kelas ketiga kerana CEO dan COO-nya tidak dapat mencapai kapasiti intelektual yang diperlukan untuk memberi perkhidmatan yang men-sejahterakan pelanggan dan pengguna secara umumnya. Oh, saya tak peduli dengan himpunan rakyat 12 Januari ini ataupun mana-mana teori konspirasi berkaitan Parlimen Pandan ataupun Rafizi Ramli. Yang kami perlukan kini ialah situasi ini diselesaikan dalam masa terdekat. Tidak guna berhimpun sejuta rakyat sekalipun jika masalah kecil melibatkan 100,000 orang pun tidak dapat diselesaikan. Jika kerajaan negeri atau kerajaan persekutuan tidak boleh berfungsi untuk membantu rakyat, saya harap situasi kami akan mendapat perhatian Sultan Selangor (selain komen-komen beliau melibatkan isu agama; lebih baik kiranya melihat masalah rakyat secara realistik) Untuk makluman juga, air yang dibekalkan kepada kami kini bukanlah air bersih. Air tersebut berwarna kuning dan berbau busuk. Juga jika ada di antara pembaca mengenali CEO atau COO SYABAS, mohon Tweet dan sampaikan tulisan ini kepada mereka; agar mereka turun dan bantu rakyat angkut air naik tingkat lima. Hari-hari lewat tanpa air ini mengingatkan saya kepada "Pathei Mathos", ungkapan yang diucapkan di awal Aeschylus Agamemnon, pementasan pertama di dalam trilogi Orestiea yang maksudnya lebih kurang begini di dalam bahasa Inggeris: "wisdom comes through suffering". "... things are never as complicated as they seem. It is only our arrogance that prompts us to find unnecessarily complicated answers to simple problems." ~ Muhammad Yunus, Banker to the Poor. * Ini adalah pendapat peribadi penulis

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Bank Islam jarakkan diri dari ramalan pakar ekonominya mengenai PRU Posted: 11 Jan 2013 02:23 AM PST KUALA LUMPUR, 11 Jan — Bank Islam Malaysia menjarakkan diri dari ramalan ketua penganalisis ekonominya dalam sebuah forum di Singapura bahawa Pakatan Rakyat (PR) boleh menang dengan majoriti kecil pada pilihan raya umum (PRU) 2013, dengan mengatakan hari ini "mereka tidak terlibat dengan forum tersebut". Dalam satu kenyataannya hari ini, pengarah urusan Datuk Seri Zukri Samat memberi komen tentang laporan The Straits Times Singapura mengenai forum yang mengaitkan bank tersebut dengan ramalan  Azrul Azwar Ahmad Tajuddin. "Kami kesal dengan laporan yang mengaitkan Bank Islam dengan pandangannya dan ramalannya, dan kami mahu laporan yang silap tersebut dibetulkan. "Untuk pengetahuan anda, Bank Islam tidak terlibat dan tidak berkaitan dalam forum tersebut," kata Zukri dalam sebuah kenyataan dihantar ke The Straits Times dan The Malaysian Insider. The Malaysian Insider melaporkan ramalan Azrul Azwar telah menimbulkan kekeruhan memandangkan kerajaan  Barisan Nasional (BN) akan membubarkan parlimen tahun ini. "Pandangan Azrul dalam forum tersebut adalah pandangan peribadi beliau dan tidak patut dikaitkan dengan Bank Islam," kata Zukri dalam kenyataan empat perenggan itu. The Malaysian Insider turut melaporkan pihak pengurusan bank bermesyuarat hari ini bagi mendapatkan apa yang dikatakan oleh pakar ekonomi tersebut dalam Regional Outlook Forum di Singapura semalam. Pemegang saham utama Bank Islam adalah Tabung Haji, yang diuruskan oleh kerajaan. Ahli parlimen Kota Belud Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan menolak ramalan Azrul Azwar, mengatakan ia spekulasi "mengarut" apabila kenyataannya hanya memberi amaran palsu kepada pihak pembangkang. Setiausaha BN Sabah itu berpendapat pandangan pakar ekonomi itu berat sebelah kerana diketahui bahawa beliau adalah ahli PKR cabang Putrajaya. "Saya kagum dengan semangatnya tetapi beliau kena berdiri di bumi yang nyata," kata Abdul Rahman. MENYUSUL LAGI

Ramalan pakar ekonomi Bank Islam mengeruhkan keadaan Posted: 11 Jan 2013 02:17 AM PST Dalam Bajet 2013, Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak mengumumkan pelbagai pemberian yang memberikan manfaat dalam usaha mendapatkan sokongan menjelang PRU. — Gambar fail KUALA LUMPUR, 11 Jan — Kenyataan pakar ekonomi Bank Islam Malaysia telah mengeruhkan keadaan di kalangan pemimpin Umno dan Putrajaya apabila menjangkakan Pakatan Rakyat (PR) akan menang tipis dalam Pilihan Raya Umum 2013, menurut sumber. The Malaysian Insider difahamkan, pemimpin  Barisan Nasional (BN) memandang berat kenyataan dan perkiraan Azrul Azwar Ahmad Tajudin, yang menjangkakan PR akan menang tipis dalam PRU akan datang. Malah, turut difahamkan, pihak pengurusan bank juga mengadakan perjumpaan berkenaan penemuan, yang merupakan sebahagian daripada pembentangan kertas kerja ketika Regional Outlook Forum di Singapura semalam. Pemegang saham terbesar Bank Islam adalah dana untuk ibadah Haji, yang diuruskan oleh Lembaga Tabung Haji, yang mana dimiliki kerajaan. Ketika dihubungi, ahli Parlimen Umno, Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan turut menolak jangkaan Azrul Azwar, malah menggelarnya sebagai spekulasi "mengarut" yang hanya akan memberikan harapan palsu kepada pakatan pembangkang. Setiausaha BN Sabah itu menambah, bacaan Azrul Azwar tersebut sebagai berat sebelah kerana beliau merupakan ahli PKR Putrajaya. "Saya hormati semangatnya namun saya fikir beliau harus berpijak di bumi nyata," kata Abdul Rahman. Akhbar Singapore Straits Times (ST) hari ini melaporkan, Azrul menjangkakan BN hanya akan menang antara  97 dan 107 daripada 222 kerusi Parlimen — tidak mencukupi untuk membentuk pentadbiran. Keputusan itu turut bermakna PR hanya akan menang kerusi Parlimen yang goyah, dan jauh daripada majority besar. Faktor utama yang menjadi jangkaan adalah bangsa dan demografi. Abdul Rahman, bagaimanapun menjelaskan, laporan dikemukakan Azrul Anwar tidak memetik mana-mana pihak dalam metodologi dan sebab. "Saya tidak pasti dari mana beliau dapat angka-angka itu," katanya. Beliau mengingatkan kemenangan BN dalam lapan pilihan raya kecil dan menegaskan ia akan berterusan dalam pilihan raya ke-13. "Kami selesa dengan bacaan kami ... Kami percaya kami akan kekal berkuasa dalam kerajaan Persekutuan, bukan itu sahaja, kami akan menambah majoriti," katanya lagi. Kemudian, Azrul meramalkan kejatuhan akibat dari kemenangan PR, dengan pasaran saham bersedia untuk bertindakbalas secara "spontan" serta tempoh lanjutan ketidakstabilan dilihat. Beliau juga tidak menolak kemungkinan "sabotaj ekonomi" oleh perniagaan dan perkhidmatan awam yang berkait dengan BN.Kerajaan BN masih mempunyai masa untuk melakukan sesuatu bagi menjamin kemenangan melawan pembangkang paling tersusun pada PRU yang mesti diadakan selepas akhir April tahun ini. Dalam Bajet 2013, Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak mengumumkan pelbagai pemberian yang memberikan manfaat dalam usaha mendapatkan sokongan menjelang PRU. Ini termasuklah pemberian pusingan kedua RM500 Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia kepada golongan berpendapatan rendah, pengembangan pemberian tersebut kepada golongan muda belum berkahwin berpendapatan bawah RM3,000 sebulan menerima sebanyak RM250. Awal minggu ini Timbalan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin mencadangkan pemberian tersebut dijadikan tetap dan dinaikkan kepada RM1,000 jika BN menang PRU. Bantuan lain termasuklah baucer buku RM500 dan rebat untuk telefon pintar sebanyak RM250 bagi pelajar. Populariti Najib jatuh dua mata peratusan dari 65 peratus pada November kepada 63 peratus baru-baru ini dalam tinjauan terbaru oleh badan tinjauan bebas Merdeka Center. Pusingan sebelumnya pemberian BR1M telah meningkatkan sokongan untuk Najib, terutamanya bagi golongan berpendapatan rendah yang merupakan penerima utama. Tetapi "Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat" yang disokong PR esok memberikan risiko terhadap kerja-kerja BN, sepertimana perhimpunan Bersih 28 April 2012 dikatakan menjadi sebab menagapa Najib tidak mengadakan pilihan raya mengejut tahun lalu. Najib mempunyai pilihan untuk mengadakan pilihan raya 2013 bila-bila masa sebelum 27 April, di mana Parlimen akan dibubarkan dan secara automatiknya pilihan raya akan dijalankan.

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